2025 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2015
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Ariel's Window Seat
Current Goal:
135
of
115
*2015 Challenge Goal Completed1. Festive in Death by J.D. Robb review
2. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith review
3. Maggie Now by Betty Smith review
4. Modern Magic by Louisa May Alcott review
5. A Marble Woman: Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott by Louisa May Alcott
6. Dorothy Parker Stories by Dorothy Parker review
7. Galápagos by Kurt Vonnegut
8. Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb review
9. East of Eden by John Steinbeck review
10. A Daring Life: a Biography of Eudora Welty by Carolyn J Brown review
11. Eudora: A Writer's Life by Ann Waldron review
12. The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker review
13. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd review
14. Cinder by Marissa Meyer review
15. Glitches by Marissa Meyer review
16. The Little Android by Marissa Meyer review
17. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton review
18. Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin by Kenny Shopsin review
19. Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi review
20. A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra review
21. Green Heart by Alice Hoffman
22. Yes Please by Amy Poehler review
23. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides review
24. Color and How to Use It: Find out what color is, how it works, and how to make it work for you in your paintings by William F. Powell
25. The Elements of Color by Johannes Itten
26. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski review
27. Foe by J.M. Coetzee review
28. Ordinary People by Judith Guest review
29. A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton review
30. B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton review
31. C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton review
32. D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton review
33. E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton review
34. F is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton review
35. G is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton review
36. H is for Homicide by Sue Grafton review
37. I is for Innocent by Sue Grafton review
38. J is for Judgment by Sue Grafton review
39. K is for Killer by Sue Grafton review
40. L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton review
41. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke Will Review Later
42. M is for Malice by Sue Grafton review
43. Matilda by Roald Dahl review
44. Bernice Bobs Her Hair by F. Scott Fitzgerald review
45. N is for Noose by Sue Grafton review
46. Night by Elie Wiesel review
47. O is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton review
48. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster review
49. The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski review
50. P is for Peril by Sue Grafton review
51. Chocolat by Joanne Harris review
52. The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell review
53. Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver review
54. Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg review
55. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery review
56. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson review
57. The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro review
58. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin review
59. Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis review
60. The Sister by Poppy Adams review
61. Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton review
62. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr review
63. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters review
64. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath review
65. Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol review
66. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple review
67. The Collected Tales and Plays of Nikolai Gogol by Nikolai Gogol review
68. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut review
69. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer review
70. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger review
71. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde review
72. Middlemarch by George Eliot review
73. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells review
74. The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells review
75. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum review
76. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy review
77. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt review
78. Lalla Rookh by Thomas Moore review
79. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom review
Continued in next post.
80. Perdido Street Station by China Miéville review
81. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe review
82. Origin Stories by Kelly Link review
83. Get in Trouble by Kelly Link review
84. George Eliot's Middlemarch Edited by Harold Bloom review
85. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern review
86. Little Black Book of Stories by A.S. Byatt review
87. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway review
88. A Dark-Brown Dog and Other Stories by Stephen Crane review
90. R is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton review
91. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen review
92. S is for Silence by Sue Grafton review
93. The Queen's Army by Marissa Meyer review
94. T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton review
95. Cress by Marissa Meyer review
96. Fairest by Marissa Meyer review
97. Stardust by Neil Gaiman review
98. U Is for Undertow by Sue Grafton review
99. The Hours by Michael Cunningham review
100. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera review
101. V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton review
102. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs review
103. Beowulf by Unknown; translated by Seamus Heaney review
104. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo review
105. W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton review
106. Hollow City Ransom Riggs review
107. Company of Liars by Karen Maitland review
108. Hild by Nicola Griffith review
109. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry review
110. The 100 Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson review
111. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley review
112. Joyland by Stephen King review
113. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman review
114. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante review
115. Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story by Daphne Sheldrick review
116. White Teeth by Zadie Smith review
117. Devoted in Death by J.D. Robb review
118. Chasing the Sun: The Epic Story of the Star That Gives Us Life by Richard Cohen review
119. Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie review
120. Leaves of Grass: First and "Death-Bed" Editions by Walt Whitman review
121. Bleak House by Charles Dickens review
122. X by Sue Grafton review
123. Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire review
124. The Magus by John Fowles review
125. Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings by Jorge Luis Borges review
126. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende review
127. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald review
128. Down the Rabbit Hole by J.D. Robb review
129. The Strange Files of Fremont Jones by Dianne Day review
130. Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded by Simon Winchester review
131. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing review
132. Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams review
133. Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson review
134. History of the Rain by Niall Williams review
135. The Witches by Roald Dahl review
136. All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews review
137. Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin review
138. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd review
139. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra review
140. The Joke by Milan Kundera review
141. The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll by Álvaro Mutis review
142. The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey review
Completed Goals: [15 of 15] & [25 of 25] Current Goal:
35
of
35
- Challenge Complete1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
2. The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker
3. Eudora: A Writer's LifeAnn Waldron (Eudora: A Writer's Life) by Ann Waldron
4. A Daring Life: a Biography of Eudora Welty by Carolyn J. Brown
5. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
6. The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
7. Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi
8. Green Heart by Alice Hoffman
9. Yes Please by Amy Poehler
10. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
11. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
12. A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
13. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Jilid II by Susanna Clarke
14. Chocolat by Joanne Harris
15. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
16. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
17. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
18. Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis
19. The Sister by Poppy Adams
20. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
21. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
22. Middlemarch by George Eliot
23. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
24. The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
25. Origin Stories by Kelly Link
26. Little Black Book of Stories by A.S. Byatt
27. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
28. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
29. Company of Liars by Karen Maitland
30. Hild by Nicola Griffith
31. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
32. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
33. Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story by Daphne Sheldrick
34. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
35. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
Read So Far: [25 of 25]; Completed1.
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Total Read So Far: [38 of 38] List 1: Man Booker Prize Eligible 2014 Completed: [13 of 13]1.
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List 2: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Completed: [20 of 20]1.
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List 3: Best Historical Mystery Completed: [5 of 5]1.
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Ariel wrote: "6K Members Celebration Mini Challenge Update: Done!"
<3 this
Erika wrote: "Ariel wrote: "6K Members Celebration Mini Challenge Update: Done!"
<3 this"
Thanks! :)
March Challenge: The OscarsDuration: March 1, 2015 - March 31, 2015
[8|8] Completed
1. The three movies that won the most Oscars were Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Titanic and Ben-Hur with 11 statuettes each.
* Foe by J.M. Coetzee (A book that has won multiple literary awards)
2. The individual who was awarded the most total Oscars in their lifetime was Walt Disney, who walked away with 22 wins and 4 honorary ones.
*Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (A book spanning a character's lifetime)
3. There are three Best Picture winners with running times longer than three and a half hours - Gone With the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia and Ben-Hur
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Read a book over 500 pages)
4. The youngest ever actress to win an Oscar was Tatum O'Neal who was 10 years old when she won the Best Supporting Actress award for Paper Moon
Matilda by Roald Dahl (Read a book with a child protagonist)
5. There are only two sequels that have won best picture - The Godfather Part 2 and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
*The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski (Part of a series: The Winner's Trilogy)
6. The first posthumous Oscar winner was Sidney Howard, the 1939 winner for the screenplay of Gone with the Wind
A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (I'm actually including the whole Alphabet Series [I've been on a Grafton binge lately *up through J currently] in this one as you see the main character deal with death at a consistent pace throughout. Both through her work as a PI and the lingering grief/acknowledgement of her parent's death when she was 5. I think the books give a good representation of how the death of a parent early on flows out into our later lives. Not to overly romanticize the point.)
7. The most Oscar-nominated family is the Newmans with 88 nominations between them.
*Ordinary People by Judith Guest (A book about family)
8. The very first Academy Awards Ceremony was held in 1929.
Bernice Bobs Her Hair by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Set in the 20s)
March Challenge: Spring Break Spell Out[5|5] Completed
F: Foe by J.M. Coetzee
L: L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton
O: Ordinary People by Judith Guest
R: Matilda by Roald Dahl
A: A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
Because that's what I'm obsessed with in Spring.
I definitely need some dedicated reading time if I'm going to have any luck with the March Challenges! 0.0
Update to The Oscars challenge: [5|8] Completed
6. The first posthumous Oscar winner was Sidney Howard, the 1939 winner for the screenplay of Gone with the Wind
A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (I'm actually including the whole Alphabet Series [I've been on a Grafton binge lately *up through J currently] in this one as you see the main character deal with death at a consistent pace throughout. Both through her work as a PI and the lingering grief/acknowledgement of her parent's death when she was 5. I think the books give a good representation of how the death of a parent early on flows out into our later lives. Not to overly romanticize the point.)
Update to The Oscars challenge:[6|8] Completed
3. There are three Best Picture winners with running times longer than three and a half hours - Gone With the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia and Ben-Hur
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Read a book over 500 pages)
Update to The Oscars challenge:[7|8] Completed
4. The youngest ever actress to win an Oscar was Tatum O'Neal who was 10 years old when she won the Best Supporting Actress award for Paper Moon
Matilda by Roald Dahl (Read a book with a child protagonist)
Update to Spring Break Spell Out challenge: DONE![5|5] Completed
F: Foe by J.M. Coetzee
L: L is for Lawless by Sue Grafton
O: Ordinary People by Judith Guest
R: Matilda by Roald Dahl
A: A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
Update to The Oscars challenge: DONE![8|8] Completed
Second Quarter Challenge: One Hit WondersDuration: April 1 - June 30, 2015
[6|6]- DONE!!
Second Quarter Challenge: Sharon's Spring ChallengeDuration: April 1 - June 30, 2015
[9|9] Completed; DONE!!
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
Chocolat by Joanne Harris (takes place during Lent)
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
Night by Elie Wiesel (a book I have been putting off reading)
Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg (read a book of poetry)
The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski (Released March 3, 2015)
April Challenge: ChocolateDuration: April 1, 2015 - April 30, 2015
[12|12] Completed - DONE!
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
Q is for Quarry by Sue Grafton (Character fighting a bad reputation - though it was a rep well earned tbh.)
Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver (read a book by an author you like)
The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell (Read a book where a character/s go by different names)
P is for Peril by Sue Grafton (read a book about fraud)
Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg
The Sister by Poppy Adams
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson (covers both)
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (read a book with a character who is rich)
The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro (read a book with a mythological creature)
Update to Second Quarter Challenge: Sharon's Spring Challenge[3|9] Completed
I read The Winner's Crime (#11: read a book that was released in 2015) and really, really, really loved it. Just as much as the first in fact. The author, Marie Rutkoski, is very good at keeping you on the edge of your seat.
Update to April Challenge: Chocolate[3|12] Completed
I read The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski (#11: read a book with a controlling character) and P is for Peril by Sue Grafton (#6: read a book about fraud or stolen identity).
Had no idea that P is for Peril would help me out with the challenge, I'm still just trying to get through the series on the whim of pure stubbornness. But yay for that at least. However, out of the entire series, this is one I'd recommend because there is a bit of a twist in it.
Update to several of my challenges... I read Howl and Other Poems & The Elegance of the Hedgehog today. In other words, today was a wonderfully magical day because both books were gobbled up and totally loved.
I sincerely recommend both; especially Sunflower Sutra by Allen Ginsberg. The Elegance of the Hedgehog was thoroughly brilliant, lovely, witty, & heartbreaking.
Update to April Challenge: Chocolate10|12 Read
I read Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson (10. Gianduja: Read a book set in Europe or that contains a conflict.) I do think it captured the small town deal pretty decently but it was almost abominably slow until the last bit of the book.
I also read The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro (12. Chocolate Oil: Read a book with a ghost or mythological creature.) I really got into the story for the first hundred pages or so and enjoyed the characters of Beatrice and Axl. However, there was a lot of the story that felt kind of hodge podged.
Just finished reading Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis which updates a couple of my challenges. Not a favorite. Quite boring/disappointing really.
Just finished reading The Sister by Poppy Adams for the April Challenge: Chocolate (reads a book where things aren't what they seem). I've had a couple flubs lately so this was a welcome relief. Solid story that kept me interested. It's also a debut novel which I was pretty surprised about.
Update: [12|12] - Done(!)This challenge was really fun. I definitely read a few books I might not have gotten to otherwise.
I think my absolute favorites were:
My least faves were probably:
The rest were kind of midroad for me. I was surprised by Chocolat because I'd always assumed it was a really sappy romance. I think I'll definitely be reading the other two books in the trilogy. I'm still not quite sure what I think about the Buried Giant tbh. It was interesting but kind of read like fanfiction whereas I was expecting something a little more in depth. I liked A Passage to India for the most part. There was just so much senselessness to it, but that's kind of the point when you end up reading a classic that shines a spotlight on racism of an era/area. So, in that respect, I found it heartbreaking and frustrating.
ALISSA'S MAY CLASSICS MINI CHALLENGEDuration: May 1 - May 31, 2015
[4|4] Completed - DONE!
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum ((May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919))
The Nose (Read in The Collected Tales and Plays of Nikolai Gogol) by Nikolai Gogol. This was adapted into a film/animation short titled Le Nez in 1963. This is actually what got me interested in Gogol to begin with. I really recommend the film short.
Middlemarch by George Eliot
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy
CLASSICS CHALLENGEDuration: May 1 - May 31, 2015
[7|7] Completed - DONE
I'm excited to have a reason to get around to reading H.G. Wells in particular. My dad taught me how to read with a mixture of Wells and Star Wars books lol. No wonder I'm such a nerd. But I've never gotten around to reading them on my own.
Plus this will help me get some headway on my Listopia Challenge. Sneaky Sneaky.
An update to my Listopia Challenge: I read All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr and fell head over heels for it. I also just finished The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters and found it very disappointing unfortunately. However, from a strictly historical fiction context it was a very interesting and accurate depiction of the era and area, being set after WWI in England. Especially in regards to women's positions in the community and their homes, the displacement and issues faced by military men upon coming home and the years after, and the clash of classes.
It's been a Gogol day/night. I've finished up The Collected Tales and Plays of Nikolai Gogol and Dead Souls and I'm a pretty content girl right about now. I first got interested in Gogol because of the '63 film/animation short titled Le Nez. But I've just now gotten around to reading him. Def recommend the short (and Gogol for that matter).
I don't think Gogol will be replacing Dostoevsky as my favorite classic Russian author but he's certainly a top contender. I really (REALLY) wish he'd had a chance to finish out Dead Souls.
Update to several challenges: Just finished Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut and certainly recommend it. I think it's as poignant a look into the results of war and PTSD as The Bell Jar is into depression and bipolar disorder.
thanks for the comments on the slaughterhouse five and the bell jar. I didn't realize they had disorders involved. I might have to bump them up on my list.
Alison wrote: "thanks for the comments on the slaughterhouse five and the bell jar. I didn't realize they had disorders involved. I might have to bump them up on my list."You're welcome, I was aware of the Bell Jar for the most part but I had no idea about Slaughterhouse either. Hope you enjoy reading them when you get to each. :)
Just finished The Picture of Dorian Gray and I think it's the most my opinion of a book has ever turned around. When I finished it I was pretty set on 2-3 stars. I hated the characters in the extreme and it just didn't feel like much to me. However, after sitting with it for awhile, I realized how much it was making me think. That's pretty much what did it.
I just finished Middlemarch by George Eliot and, oh, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It was breathtaking. I've got an excessive amount of further reading/research from it which has me stoked beyond belief and I'm just out of my mind in love with Eliot/Evans right now. I thoroughly recommend this to anyone interested in complex characters, Victorian culture, classics, interesting character dynamics and intensely wrought relationships. I also recommend reading a version with above par annotations. Mine had a few annotation for historical purposes. However, in researching the epigraphs to chapters (I'd LOVE to be half as well read as Evans) and other things, I came across Genius.
It's kind of the wikipedia of annotations for everything from classic books to pop songs. It's wonderful. If you happen to check it out or happen to be looking for some notes on Middlemarch, you can find my annotations here.
I just finished The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The War of the Worlds, and The Island of Dr. Moreau. I have one more book to read to finish out ALISSA'S MAY CLASSICS MINI CHALLENGE but I've finished the CLASSICS CHALLENGE with very little time to spare. Middlemarch really took up a big chunk of my month but it was worth it.
I've had the chance to read some marvelous books this month. I'm a very happy girl lol.
Just finished The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy which finishes up the Classics Mini Challenge for me. I liked the book more than I thought I might. Looking forward to this coming month's challenges.
JUNE CHALLENGE: MIDSUMMER FESTIVALSDuration: June 1 - June 30, 2015
Option 1: Pick a name to spell out (using one letter from each book by picking the first letter of a word in the title or one of the author's initials).
Spelling out: Italy - Ferragosto
[10|10] DONE!!
F: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
E: George Eliot's Middlemarch Edited by Harold Bloom
R: Lalla Rookh by Thomas Moore
R: Get in Trouble by Kelly Link: "I Can See Right Through You" short story
A: Little Black Book of Stories by A.S. Byatt
G: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
O: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
S: Perdido Street Station by China Miéville
T: The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
O: Origin Stories by Kelly Link
2015 June Challenge: Favourite Pet/s Challenge [3|3] DONE!! :)
A Dark-Brown Dog and Other Stories by Stephen Crane (I have a dog; this short story is heartbreaking.)
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt: 771 pages
Origin Stories by Kelly Link (81 pages, includes "Origin Story" and "Secret Identity")
I've been working on an interactive/annotated 2015 reading list on Genius and I think it might be fun for people who are working on challenges or lists of their own. The community on there is great and it gives you a place to really get some good info on what you're reading or to put your own take out there. Check out my Reading Challenge page (if you like) here and see if it interests you. :)
Just finished up The Goldfinch tonight and WOW. I loved this book so much. I don't want to put anything too spoilery on here but I'm so glad it was a group read book this month.
Finally got through Perdido Street Station and finished up with Second Quarter Challenge: Sharon's Spring Challenge, woo. 
Also just finished reading Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and I can't wait to read more of his work.
I've been lagging this month but I think, with some time off, I'll be able to finish up my challenges. *fingers crossed*
Wow! Ariel, I am super impressed by your corner!! This is an astounding collection of challenges and you're doing a remarkable job meeting them all. What's your secret? How do you get through so many awesome books?
Jackie B. wrote: "Wow!"@Jackie B. Thank you so much!! I've been on a serious book binge this year and I've been really lucky with almost everything I've been reading. I think the only secret I can claim is insomnia and caffeine lol. I've been cutting it close this month and last, so we'll see if I can finish up but I think July's going to be a break for me.
All the challenges are so interesting though, it's hard not to get into them. They make you notice things about books or go about reading them in a different way than you might have initially imo. So it kinda helps if you're lagging and you need help finding something else to pick up, you know?
Just finished reading Get in Trouble & Origin Stories by Kelly Link and they both received 4 stars from me. I really like her style and wit. I'd rec them to anyone that likes short stories that are a little off kilter (or authors with writing styles that are; ie. Lewis Carroll-esque, etc.) or anyone looking for a good collection/good vacation book. Also, I was pretty stoked about "Origin Story" in particular. For anyone who hasn't played the game- you should! You just take some classic character or a random person you come across and spend a couple minutes thinking up their origin story. The play the game in the short story if you want examples.
Ok, I'm a dork. :P
Finished Harold Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations volume on George Eliot's Middlemarch and it was very useful. I'd def rec it for anyone reading George Eliot (Middlemarch or otherwise tbh).
Finished with The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Little Black Book of Stories by A.S. Byatt last night. Both wonderful and very intriguing.
Ariel (mot_avant) wrote: "Finished with The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern..."Oh, I loved The Night Circus. I read your review, and I totally agree about the inconsistency of the dialogue. It felt like a modern setting when they were talking, which was often confusing. That said, I was able to look past it. I feel like the setting wasn't super crucial to propelling the plot, just to adding mystery to the Night Circus itself.
As far as "dueling" is concerned, I felt like they did duel-- just not in the traditional sense. No pistols at 30 paces, or whatnot. It was more Princess Bride style-- a battle of wits! It was dueling to create the best exhibits at the circus, and then (view spoiler). No hand-to-hand, but it still came across to me.
I also read your review for Little Black Book of Stories, and I've just added that to my TBR. It sounds fascinating.
Jackie B. wrote: "Oh, I loved The Night Circus. I read your review, and I totally agree about..."Yeah- it wasn't like non-period dialogue took something huge away from the book. It was easy to get by without. It just leans more to solid fiction rather than historical because of it. However, I could see the connection (possibly) between Lefèvre and 19th century aesthetes. In fact, without him being an aesthetic, the circus wouldn't have been what it was so I'm thinking that keeps it within the purview.
I do like your point about the dueling. I sort of saw a duel being this massive, lead up to point and the lack of it was noticed, you know? But I'd certainly agree that them having to "duel" with their teachers, with the confines of the challenge, with the effort of keeping up everything they had going, and, of course, the duel of their emotions counts as well. Though I have to say that the song, "anything you can do, I can do better..." kept circling around my head for most of the circus tent creations lol.
Great! I hope you like it, let me know what you think, please.
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (other topics)The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (other topics)
The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll (other topics)
The Girl with All the Gifts (other topics)
The Joke (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Patrick Süskind (other topics)Mark Haddon (other topics)
M.R. Carey (other topics)
Álvaro Mutis (other topics)
Miriam Toews (other topics)
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Working On:
Letting my brain rest until 2016!
*147 books read/2015 (Goal: 115)
Finished Challenges: {link to summaries of what was read}